Wireless communication networks often contain a great number of devices that can be randomly located throughout an indoor and/or outdoor communication environment. An important issue is how to organize these communication devices physically and logically so that efficient inter-device communication is possible, and so that the resulting network is robust, scalable, and adaptable to changes in network topology. A primary wireless networking technology currently in use is cellular telephony technology. This technology has weaknesses in the indoor environment, as well as in applications in which devices can be more efficiently connected to each other by communicating directly (i.e. the devices are in close proximity of each other).
Technologies that currently address these cases are wireless Personal Area Networks (PAN) and wireless home networking products. In the former, devices are organized into small networks designed to supplement current wide area networks such as cellular telephony. The networks allow a small number of devices to exchange data, and perform functions without the need for cable. Wireless home networking allows devices within a home to communicate with a central controller, normally a home computer or a cable set-top box. All devices in the network communicate directly with the central controller and not with each other. These networks are appropriate for their desired applications, but do not address the interconnection of multiple small low-cost and low-power wireless communication devices that may be scattered randomly throughout an indoor environment. These devices may be applied to remote sensing or control functions, signal processing, or communication functions. These devices require networks that are more scalable, robust to device failures, and employ efficient power conserving protocols.
In light of the foregoing, there is a need in the art for a network protocol for a self-organizing wireless network that provides physical and logical network construction, network routing, and network maintenance while addressing the issues associated with building a network around low-cost, low-power devices.